Waiting for a Sale on Noise-Cancelling Earbuds: Why I Decided "I Buy the WF-1000XM5 at 24,000 Yen" in Advance

Good morning, this is まさきん.

I have decided to buy a pair of noise-cancelling earbuds. I just haven’t bought them yet. While I wait for the October sales, I want to write down the prep work I settled on before buying.

This is not a review. There isn’t a single line of hands-on impressions in here, so please keep that in mind.

Note: The information here is current as of publication. Please check the official sites for the latest terms.

Three Things to Decide Before the Sale

I think sales are confusing because there is too much to think about on the day. You compare models and look at prices. Then you agonize over whether to buy at all. Doing all of that on the same day is exhausting.

So I decided to settle whatever could be settled ahead of time. These are the three things I fixed.

The third one quietly does a lot of work. When you have nowhere else to go, it is easy to panic and think “I lose out if I don’t buy today.” Knowing there is a next chance makes it much easier to pass.

Narrow It Down to One Model First

The first thing to decide is the model. If you still have three candidates on sale day, the size of the discount starts pulling you around. You may end up buying whatever got cheap rather than what you actually wanted.

I compared four options. Here is what I could confirm on the official pages.

For the AZ100 and Bose, I only checked the model names and where they sit in the lineup on the official sites. I haven’t compared how they sound. I haven’t listened to them side by side either, so I am in no position to rank them.

Why It Came Down to Earbuds vs. Headphones

What I struggled with most was earbuds versus headphones. Lining up Sony’s official specs makes the difference clear.

Battery life is overwhelmingly in the headphones’ favor. On the other hand, weight and size are in a completely different league. I plan to use these while getting around, so portability came first.

The price gap was also a big reason. At Sony Store prices, there is a difference of roughly 20,000 yen. Honestly, I chose earbuds because price came first.

The Time I Mixed Up the First Two Letters of the Model Number

Here is one mistake of mine. I looked up prices using just “XM5.”

What came up was the price of the WH-1000XM5 headphones. The earbuds are the WF-1000XM5. The only difference was the first two letters.

If I had set my ceiling while still mixed up, my baseline would have been off. Type the model number all the way out. It is unglamorous, but it may be the biggest lesson of this whole exercise.

Put a Number on Your Price Ceiling

Next is “how much is a buy.” I set mine at around 24,000 yen. That is a little under 70% of the Sony Store price.

I have no idea whether the street price will actually fall that far. Past price movements come from third-party sites, so I won’t make any firm claims here. It is simply the amount I would feel fine paying.

When setting a ceiling, I think it comes together more easily if you go in this order.

1. Check the official price. Use the manufacturer’s direct price as your baseline.
2. Write down what you are willing to pay first. Before looking at market prices, put down a number from your own gut.
3. Recheck the model number. Make sure the price you looked up belongs to the model you want.
4. Leave some room. Adding “around” saves you from agonizing over a few hundred yen.
5. Tell your family. Don’t settle it alone. Say the number out loud and confirm it.

Number 5 is still ahead of me. I plan to talk it over with my family before buying. Sharing the amount up front probably makes things less likely to get tangled later.

Prime Big Deal Days: Dates and Conditions

The sale I decided to wait for is Amazon Japan’s Prime Big Deal Days. I confirmed the dates in Amazon’s press release.

Counting the early sale, prices can be watched from October 13. I plan to start checking that day.

That said, it has not been announced whether the WF-1000XM5 will be included. The size of any discount is unknown too. That is why I am waiting on a conditional basis: if it drops, I buy.

Apparently some products are excluded from the bonus points. The need to enter may also be an easy thing to forget.

The Next Place to Buy If the Price Doesn’t Drop

If the price doesn’t fall to my ceiling, I buy on one of Rakuten Ichiba’s “5 and 0 days.” I decided this in advance. I checked the terms on Rakuten Ichiba’s official page.

On the calendar, Prime Big Deal Days ends on October 19. The very next day, October 20, happens to be an eligible day. Having such a short gap before the next chance is a real help for planning.

I broke down the 4x in my article on how the “5 and 0 days” work. The campaign by itself adds only +1x. Knowing that should keep expectations in check.

Putting the Two Places Side by Side

Here are the two places to buy, measured with the same yardstick.

You can see they are a little different in character. The first is a place where you look at the discount. The second is a place where you look at the points you get back.

When comparing, I plan to line them up by the amount paid minus points. Limited-time points, though, come with fixed uses and an expiry date. It may be better not to weigh them the same as a cash discount.

What I Do on Sale Day

I am also deciding my moves for the day ahead of time. These are plans, so things may not go exactly this way.

1. Check the price on October 13. On the first day of the early sale, I look up the price of the WF-1000XM5.
2. Check the model number. Before adding to cart, I confirm it starts with WF.
3. Compare with the ceiling. If it is around 24,000 yen, I buy. If it hasn’t reached that, I wait.
4. Keep watching until October 19. I check a few more times through the last day of the main sale.
5. Switch if it doesn’t drop. I enter on Rakuten Ichiba and buy on an eligible day.

The only judgment is one point: is it at or below the ceiling? The whole aim of this prep is to cut down what I have to think about on the day.

While waiting for the sale, I also started looking at the money that goes out every month. Earbuds are a one-time purchase, but phone bills keep coming every month.

What to Tell Family When Talking It Over

I plan to talk to my family before buying. I want to keep it to three things.

• What I am buying (the model, and why earbuds instead of headphones)
• How much I am willing to pay (the price ceiling)
• What I do if the price doesn’t drop (the next place to buy)

In other words, I just share the three things I decided. It may be closer to sharing a plan than asking for advice.

What I Plan to Check After They Arrive

I am also writing down what to check if I do manage to buy them. They haven’t arrived yet, so there are no results.

First is how well they get along with my foldable phone. I plan to use them with a Galaxy Z Fold8, so I am going to spend a few days checking for audio dropouts. I intend to try different places and times of day.

Next is how the ear tips feel. According to Sony’s product page, the included tips are noise isolation earbud tips. The material was listed as polyurethane foam. If they don’t suit me, I am thinking of trying silicone tips.

For the phone side of things, I organized my notes in my roundup of Galaxy Z Fold8 reviews.

Common Mistakes and Pitfalls

Here are the points where pre-purchase prep tends to go wrong. The first one I actually did. The rest are general cautions.

• Looking things up with an abbreviated model number. As with WF and WH, you end up looking at the price of a different product.
• Watching the sale without a ceiling. You tend to judge by the size of the discount alone.
• Forgetting to enter. Entry is sometimes part of the conditions for points.
• Counting points the same as cash. Limited-time points expire.
• Not deciding on a next place to buy. You can’t bring yourself to pass, and it becomes easy to buy in a rush.

I also wrote about how to think about timing in my article on choosing a 3D printer. Deciding the model first and then thinking about when to buy is the same flow this time.

Who This Suits and Who It Doesn’t

Whether this way of buying fits depends on the person, I think.

If you need them right away, buying without waiting is the more rational choice. Waiting has a cost too, after all.

What to Check Before You Start

• Can you write the model number of what you want exactly, right down to the first letters?
• Have you checked the manufacturer’s official price?
• Have you put a number on your price ceiling?
• Have you confirmed the sale dates and conditions such as members-only on the official site?
• Have you checked whether entry is part of the conditions for points?
• Have you decided on the next place to buy if the price does not drop?
• Have you told your family the model and the amount?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When does Prime Big Deal Days 2026 start in Japan?

According to Amazon’s press release, it runs from Friday, October 16, 0:00 to Monday, October 19, 23:59. The early sale is listed as running from Tuesday, October 13, 0:00 to Thursday, October 15, 23:59. It is a sale for Prime members only.

Q. What is the difference between the WF-1000XM5 and the WH-1000XM5?

The WF-1000XM5 is a pair of earbuds, and the WH-1000XM5 is a pair of headphones. In Sony’s official specs, the weight differs greatly: about 5.9 g × 2 versus about 250 g. Continuous playback with NC on was up to 8 hours versus up to 30 hours. The prices differ too, so please check the first two letters of the model number.

Q. How much will the WF-1000XM5 cost during the sale?

I don’t know. Neither whether it will be included nor the size of the discount has been officially announced. I set my ceiling at around 24,000 yen, but that is my own standard, not a prediction.

Q. Do the “5 and 0 days” apply even without entering?

The official page says entry is required every time, for each campaign day. You cannot enter on days other than campaign days. It seems best to take care of it on the day you buy, without forgetting.

Q. Is there a cap on “5 and 0 days” points?

Yes. The cap on the campaign portion is 1,000 points per month (limited-time). Points are said to be awarded around the 15th of the following month or around the 15th of the month after that.

Q. How should I decide on a price ceiling?

I don’t think there is a right answer. I checked the manufacturer’s direct price and then wrote down what I was willing to pay first. Rather than matching the market, putting down a number you are comfortable with may leave you with less to second-guess.

Q. If the price doesn’t drop during the sale, should I keep waiting?

Rather than waiting indefinitely, I recommend deciding on one next place to buy. Waiting with no deadline gradually becomes a chore. I made Rakuten Ichiba’s “5 and 0 days” my next stop.

Q. How were the sound and fit of the earbuds?

I haven’t bought them yet, so I have nothing to report. Once they arrive, I plan to spend a few days checking for audio dropouts and trying the ear tips.

Official Sources I Referred To

• Prime Big Deal Days announcement (Amazon Japan press release)
• WF-1000XM5 main specifications (Sony)
• WF-1000XM5 features (Sony)
• WH-1000XM5 main specifications (Sony)
• EAH-AZ100 (Technics)
• Bose official site
• Rakuten Card “5 and 0 days” (Rakuten Ichiba)

Wrap-Up

To avoid dithering during the sale, I decided three things in advance. The model is the WF-1000XM5. My price ceiling is around 24,000 yen. If it doesn’t drop, I buy on one of Rakuten Ichiba’s “5 and 0 days.”

I don’t know yet how it will turn out. There is every chance the price won’t fall to my ceiling. Even so, it looks like I can cut what I have to think about on the day down to one thing.

If there is something you want, how about writing down just the model number and your price ceiling on a piece of paper?

While waiting on a one-time purchase, it might also be a good idea to review your monthly phone bill.

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